Editors

Melania Trump arrives Ghana to teach Africa how to look after children

Melania Trump opened her first big solo international trip as U.S. first lady on Tuesday with a wave, a smile and a baby in her arms, aiming to promote child welfare during a five-day tour of Africa.

First lady Melania Trump walks with Ghana’s first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo as she arrives at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana

She arrived in the West African nation of Ghana after an overnight flight from Washington and quickly made her way to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.

The first lady saw how babies are weighed — they’re placed in sacks that are then hung from a hook attached to a scale. She also watched a nurse demonstrate how vitamins are administered to babies by mouth and toured the neonatal intensive care unit.

Mrs. Trump also cradled an infant and declared the baby a “beautiful boy” as she handed him back to his mother.

Mothers at the hospital for her visit received gifts of teddy bears nestled in white baby blankets, personally handed out by the first lady, according to her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham. The items carried the logo of “Be Best,” the child well-being initiative Mrs. Trump launched last May.

With the Africa visit, the first lady aims to take “Be Best” and its focus on opioid abuse and online behavior to an international audience.